Cognitive and Brain Sciences Specialization (BA)
What is the Cognitive and Brain Sciences specialization (BA)?
Students who complete a specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences will receive targeted education pertaining to neural mechanisms and the cognitive processes that these mechanisms engender. Topics may include neural communication, neural function and dysfunction, neural systems, research methods in neuroscience, thinking, reasoning, attention and decision making.
What are the requirements and how do I apply?
Admission is competitive. The specific average or standing required for admission varies from year to year. Students are selected by taking into consideration a wide range of criteria including school marks, distribution of subjects taken, and performance in subjects relevant to the academic degree. Possession of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Preference will be given to applicants with the best qualifications.
Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M credits, including English (ENG4U). It is recommended that Biology (SBI4U) and one of Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U) or Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U) is taken. All other applicants should refer to Admissions for the requirements for their specific category of admission.
Double major:
Students registered in a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the university have the opportunity, in most cases, to combine two majors within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities concurrently as a double major (note - some restrictions apply). Double major program maps have been approved by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and are available through the Academic Advising Office. Students undertaking a double major within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities will, in most cases, be required to complete more than 120 credit hours. Students wishing to declare a double major must consult with the Academic Advising office. The Faculty of Social Science and Humanities offers a double major in Legal Studies and Political Science that is 120 credit hours to complete.
Degree requirements:
To be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology, students must meet both the degree requirements and the requirements outlined below for a total of 120 credits. Although reasonable efforts will be made to provide the courses in the indicated semesters in the following degree maps, course requirements and term offerings may change. Each year prior to course registration the order and timing of course offerings will be released by the faculty and communicated to students.
To learn more about the admissions process and apply, visit our Undergraduate Admissions website.
Experiential Learning: Internships, Practicums, and Community Engagement
To learn more about the Affective Science and Mental Health specialization (BSc) program’s experiential learning opportunities (e.g., the practicum, the internship, and community engagement projects), check out the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities’ Experiential Learning Office.
What courses will I take?
Year 1 [30 credit hours]:
BIOL 1841U – Essentials of Biology
PSYC 1000U – Introductory Psychology
SSCI 1910U – Writing for the Social Sciences
Two of:
COMM 1100U – Introduction to Communication and Digital Media Studies
CRMN 1000U – Introduction to Criminology and Justice
LGLS 1000U – Foundations of Legal Studies
POSC 1000U – Introduction to Political Science
Five general electives (recommended elective: ALSU 1101U Foundations for Academic Learning and Success )
Please note: any course not taken from the above option block may be taken as a general elective.
Year 2 [30 credit hours]:
Two general electives
PSYC 2010U – Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2020U – Social Psychology
PSYC 2030U – Psychopathology
PSYC 2050U – Brain and Behaviour
PSYC 2060U – Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2900U – Research Methods in Psychology
PSYC 2910U – Data Analysis in Psychology
PSYC 3060U – Personality Psychology
Year 3 [30 credit hours]:
PSYC 3910U – Advanced Data Analysis in Psychology
Four Psychology electives*
Two FSSH electives**
Three general electives***
Year 4 [30 credit hours]:
One of:
PSYC 4110U – Honours Thesis in Psychology I or
Psychology elective*
One of:
PSYC 4120U – Honours Thesis in Psychology II or
Psychology elective*
One of:
SSCI 4098U – Practicum or
SSCI 4103U – Internship or
Psychology elective*
Three Psychology electives*
Four general electives***
Psychology electives*
Any non‐required course with a PSYC 3XXX or 4XXX designation can count towards students’ necessary Psychology electives.
FSSH electives**
Any non‐required course run within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities that does not have a PSYC designation can count towards students’ necessary FSSH electives.
General electives***
General electives can be taken at/or adjoining their year level, where permission has been granted and prerequisites have been fulfilled. Any non‐required course in any faculty can count towards students’ necessary general electives.
Specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences:
The specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three must come from List A, and at least one must come from List B.
List A:
PSYC 3090U – Social Affective Neuroscience
PSYC 3510U – Research Methods in Neuroscience
PSYC 3520U – Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 3530U – Developmental Neuroscience
BIOL 3060U – Fundamentals of Neuroscience
NSCI 4999U – Advanced Topics in Integrative Neuroscience
List B:
PSYC 3075U – Biopsychology of Sex
PSYC 3085U – Drugs and Behaviour
PSYC 3610U – Thinking and Decision Making
PSYC 3630U – Sleep and Consciousness
PSYC 4210U – Social Cognition
BIOL 4820U – Neuropharmacology
Note:
Courses included in more than one specialization cluster can count towards either specialization, but cannot be double-counted towards multiple specializations for the same student. PSYC 3900U – Special Topics in Psychology I and PSYC 4900U – Special Topics in Psychology II may count towards the specialization, as determined appropriate on a course by course basis by the Psychology faculty. Please see Academic Advising for approval